Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky (1863-1944) was a Russian photographer, chemist, and inventor, who made a significant contribution to the development of photography and cinematography and was a pioneer of color photography in Russia.

In 1909-1916, Prokudin-Gorsky traveled a large part of the Russian Empire, photographing ancient churches, monasteries, factories, towns, villages, and a variety of domestic scenes.

The town of Zubtsova on the Volga River (1910).

back to the past

Tags: Russian Empire

The Alexander Palace is one of the imperial palaces of Tsarskoye Selo (today, the town of Pushkin, part of St. Petersburg), located in the northern part of the Alexander Park. The palace was built by order of Empress Catherine II in 1792-1796.

At the beginning of the 20th century, during the reign of Nicholas II, the Alexander Palace became the main residence of the imperial family and the center of court life. Photos by: deletant.

the palace of the last Russian royal family

Tags: Russian Empire · Saint Petersburg city

Moscow Kremlin 1700 is a graphical reconstruction of the Moscow fortress at the beginning of the 18th century. Engravings and plans made at the time, as well as more recent and modern reconstructions, were used to make these pictures.

By the beginning of the 18th century, the architectural ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin was completed, and the fortress received a recognizable look. You can see several undamaged buildings that later came to decay. Pictures by: Moscow Kremlin 1700.

Moscow Kremlin from the past

Tags: Moscow city

St. Petersburg is a city with a population of over 5 million people located in the northwest of Russia, on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, at the mouth of the Neva River.

The city was founded by the first Russian emperor Peter I in 1703. From 1712 to 1918, it was the capital of the Russian Empire. Let’s see how St. Petersburg looked like during the time of its greatest prosperity – in the late 19th century. Photos source: humus.

The Alexander Column and the Winter Palace.

back to the past

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Tsarskoye Selo is a museum-reserve located in Pushkin town, part of St. Petersburg. It includes a palace and park ensemble of the 18th-19th centuries, the former imperial country residence.

In the center of the Catherine’s Park, which is part of the museum-reserve, you can see the beautiful body of water called the Bolshoy (Great) Pond. Photos by: Yuri Yuhanson.

the sights of the Great Pond

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

Divers found the historical Russian mini-submarine “Som” (“Catfish”) that disappeared during the First World War near the coast of Sweden.

May 10, 1916, while carrying out patrols in the area of Aland Islands, the submarine collided with the Swedish steamer “Ingermanland” and sank. None of the crew of the submarine (18 people) survived.

One hundred years later…

Tags: Russian Empire

Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko (1891-1956), a Russian graphic artist, sculptor and photographer, was a true genius of Soviet propaganda, one of the founders of constructivism, the founder of design and advertising in the USSR.

Rodchenko is probably the most famous Russian photographer, almost everybody in Russia has seen at least a couple of his photos. Let’s get acquainted with some of his works. Source: humus.

On the corner of Myasnitskaya Street in Moscow (1920s)

people in the early Soviet Union

Tags: Soviet past

The mansion of Mikhail Aseev, opened after restoration in the autumn of 2014, is one of the most outstanding sights of Tambov.

This luxury two-storey house is located in the most prestigious part of the city – in the park on the picturesque bank of the River Tsna (Gogol Street, 1).

explore the mansion

Tags: Tambov city

Alexander Vasilevich Viskovatov was a Russian military historian who lived in the first half of the 19th century.

He was the author of a unique multi-volume book “The historical description of clothing and weapons of Russian troops” with detailed descriptions of the military and civil clothing in Russia from 862 AD until the reign of Emperor Nicholas I.

Russian clothing in the 14th-18th centuries. Shirt.

back to the past

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In the late 1970s, after the closure of the Soviet lunar program and work on the super-heavy carrier rocket N1, the development of a new super-heavy rocket called “Energy” began.

The first launch was made in 1987, and, in 1988, the rocket put into orbit the Soviet space shuttle “Buran.” Photos by: Ralph Mirebs.

abandoned rocket

Tags: Abandoned · Soviet past